I just got the ECM Synchronika. Wow, it's quite a machine.

For background, I have been using my father's 1979 La Pavoni Europiccola for the past 2 years. I spent a lot of time and frustration rebuilding that machine and learning to extract great espressos. It was a joy and quite satisfying of a project and obviously had some sentimental value. That machine will go to one of my kids one day. I have a few threads on the Lever forums sharing my journey with that machine.

Recently, I decided I wanted to take a step forward. As I assume most people do, I watched a ton of videos, read articles and reviews from this forum. I also spent a ton of time on WLL and Clive websites and YouTube channels. BTW - August Epstein at Clive has been awesome to work with. I was leaning heavily toward just getting the Synchronika, but after spending some time on the Clive Coffee site, I ended up pulling the trigger on the Lucca X58 HX machine. I've had it a couple of weeks. Overall it's a great looking machine and works really well. However, a few points bothered me more than I expected.
1. having to do a cooling flush is kind of a pain. Especially with a non-plumbed machine. Most cooling flushes would be 10-15 seconds.
2. having the gauges down low made them less useful.
3. steam worked well, but pressure would drop quickly if not given the appropriate time to build up.
4. having to fill water tank and dump the drain pan was getting old.
5. limited control of brew temp for obvious HX reason.

So with the help of August, I'm returning the X58 and I just got the Synchronika yesterday. It's some machine.
A few quick observations. It's quite a bit bigger; wider and taller than the X58. It fits under my kitchen cabinet, but I can't store cappuccinos cups on top anymore. Only espresso. No biggie. The slightly small size of the X58 is really nice. Build quality is really superb. The X58 was good, but the ECM is really a another step forward. As many people have said, it's built like a tank. I think it weighs 78lbs vs the X58 48lbs. The joysticks, lever and wands all feel much more substantial than the X58. Steam power is amazing. Running at 2 bar it really performs exceptionally well. We drink about 10 milk drinks at my house per day - I have 3 sons at home right now who are all coffee drinkers. The water reservoir is really big. Although, I do plan on plumbing it soon. It's quieter than the X58 vibe pump, but I wouldn't call the ECM silent. The included tamper is very substantial as are the portafilters. The only things I've noticed that I don't like so far are that the drain pan is pretty shallow. Which I'll address with plumbing both fresh and grey water. The other is more of a design flaw in my mind. The drain pan is not nearly as wide front to back as the X58 and group head/portafilter are much closer to the front edge of the machine. It would be nice if it was set back slightly further. Also the three way solenoid seems more aggressive than the X58 and can splash.

Overall I'm really happy with my purchase and it's been a fun trip through my dad's old Pavoni to the Synchronika. Home-Barista has been a huge resource along the way.

I also took the plunge on a Synchronika in the past few months, and I agree with everything you said. It's a fantastic machine that produces incredibly consistent espresso day and day. I quit sugar for January and over the past few days I've gotten an even better appreciation for espresso flavors in the cup, and as long as my routine is consistent, the machine never lets me down.

One thing that bothered me recently was that I kept seeing new threads on the Bianca and Decent (among others) and I wished that this community spoke more regularly about the Synchronika and sang its praises, but I realized that the lack of discussion is due to the machine's rock solid performance. It's been in the market for years and with the upgraded flow control competes nicely against everyone in the $2000-$4000 price point.

No regrets about my purchase except that I wish I bought it sooner!

PS - I also spoke with August at length and he's a really great guy and very helpful.

I'm thinking I'll get the flow control in a few months. As a side note, my oldest son, an engineering student, noticed one of the side panels was not lined up so the drip tray was slightly misaligned. Not a big issue, but it drove me nuts once he pointed it out. So we took the panels off. It may have taken 90 seconds to remove both sides and the rear panel. This thing looks really cool inside. I totally see why WWL videos really point out how easy and tidy this thing is. I recommend any Synch owner to treat themselves and open this thing up. It's an engineering marvel. Plus, I was able to adjust the side panel and all is right in the world again.